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The clacking of heels echoes off the sidewalk as I make my way down Main Street. I'm surrounded by party goers, prostitutes, and dealers; each one has its own planned destination. The smell of sweat, kush, and liquor dominate the air. If I would have come to this wasteland ten years ago I would have gagged at the smell, but now it smells like home. The sound of people cheering and screaming, waiting for the clubs to open up, fills my eardrums. The pounding of the speakers is heard clearly outside and makes my body sway to the beat. I haven't even made it inside and the party has already begun. That's what you get when you're having New Orleans fun.

I push my way through the crowd and try to make it to the door. The inside makes the crowd outside look like a bore. Inside is where the good dealers are, and the party of a lifetime. I bump into sweaty bodies. Men reach out to grab me in my tiny black dress, but I dodge them like a pro. Slipping in and out of people like a snake. A woman grabs my arm though and pulls me close. I can smell the cigarettes and vodka on her breath. She whispers in my ear, “I've got the good stuff, darling." I've seen this game though. I get close to her ear and whisper back, “The good stuff is on the inside, go the fuck away.” I push away and look at the woman who grabbed me and laugh. She's just a dumpster diving druggie looking to make some cash. She's got a tight dress on and stiletto heels. Her lips are red, but you can see where she's been picking at herself from the “bugs in her skin”. I knew girls like her when I first got into the game. They act like they care about you, but if they see red and blue they're gone. She's not shocked by my reaction. Angry, but not shocked. This isn't her first go around either. None of the people around me are new to the game.

I ditch the druggie and continue on my mission to get inside. These clubs are known for being full of big players of the game, and I'm trying to get my slice of them. In this game there are the nobodies, the pawns, the queens, and the kings. The nobodies are the trash you find on the street in the morning; they aren't important to the game unless you wanna use them for a night then ditch. The pawns are the servants of the kings; they do the deals and they're the hit men. Then there are the queens, they're what I want to be. They are the right hand woman of the kings, and get the best of everything he has. Lastly there are the kings, they're pretty self explanatory of who they are. They're the monsters. All of these people are my world, and I recite the order as I push on.

Finally close to the door, I have to search out my prey. I scan the men until I find one near the front. A tall lean man in a gray suit stands waiting in the line. His build was impeccable and you could tell he was here for the business, not the pleasure. There are people all around him, girls grinding and trying to get his attention, but he just stared straight ahead. His hands glued into his pockets, and his eyes set straight. He stood like a soldier, which was what he was. I'd seen him around and heard stories about his gang, he was a king. I slithered my way towards him, taking deliberate steps so that he would turn to notice me. I slipped into the line behind him and grabbed the hair of the girls trying to gain his attention. Some of them turned to see me, angry of course, but one look at me and they knew who they were dealing with. They walked away heads down in defeat but one of these bitches stayed.

A blonde girl in tight jean shorts and a blouse that barely held her boobs in looked at me with hate in her eyes. I, of course knew where this was going, gave her a smirk, and grabbed her blonde rag she called hair and ripped her to the ground before she could even smirk back. She fell in a jumble on the ground and looked up at me like she wanted to slit my throat. She was nothing more than a nobody and we both knew it. I let her keep her dignity by allowing her to walk away without any more shame.

I turned to the man in the suit, but he hadn't turned my way. He stood straight just like before and waited for the line to move. I moved forward towards him and linked his arm in mine. Still he did not move. Didn't flinch. Just sat there, straight faced, and waited.

So I waited with him.